LANSDALE — With two neighboring streets in the heart of Lansdale’s downtown now closed for construction, what will happen to a traffic signal that shares those two streets?

That’s an question that borough staff and its traffic expert are now examining as they take a close look at the three-way signal at Broad Street, Vine Street and Railroad Avenue, according to traffic engineer Earl Armitage of Pennoni Associates.

“We are working with the borough’s traffic signal maintenance provider to address the operation of the traffic signal at Broad Street and Vine and Railroad,” Armitage said.

According to Armitage, during work on both projects engineers have found that traffic sensors on Railroad Avenue have been damaged, “and therefore the traffic signal provides a green indication for Railroad Avenue even when vehicles are not present.” Similar damage has been found to the traffic sensors on Vine, and those will be replaced as part of the Wood-Vine project, he said.

Could that result in a traffic signal at the Broad-Vine-Railroad intersection that stays green all the time, except for when trains cross?

“The short answer is yes, it is possible for Broad Street to remain green except when the train approaches,” Armitage said — but that may not help alleviate traffic in the borough’s downtown.

“The true congestion and delay is experienced at the intersection of Main and Broad Street given the traffic volume on both of these major arterial roadways,” he said.

“If the signal at Vine and Railroad stays green for Broad Street traffic at all times, the traffic back up would occur during peak hours from Main Street,” Armitage said.

Borough staff expect Vine Street to be temporarily re-opened as streetscape work pauses for the winter “within the next week or so, hopefully by Dec. 19,” according to borough Manager Timi Kirchner, and final paving to be done in spring 2014.

Lansdale borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the North Penn School District’s Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock Street. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.Lansdale.org or follow @LansdalePA on Twitter.